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27 Hours In Kaohsiung
With its bustling metropolis, mega-structures, and a fast-paced way of life, the city of Taipei is pretty much what puts Taiwan on the tourist map. But on the opposite end of the country lies a place that can also boast of its own highly industrialized culture and good vibes – it just doesn't! Kaohsiung is a city located in the southern part of Taiwan, and is the second largest city after Taipei. It's often said to be in the shadow of the chic capital, but not literally just because of the thick pollution that once engulfed its 1,536 square kilometers. Despite substantial improvements and developments in recent years, the productive city is still referred to as one of the world's largest cargo-container seaports rather than a destination for the leisure-seeking traveler. Nevertheless, my curious self was determined to find out how much - or how little - there actually is to see and do in Kaohsiung. With zero Mandarin, a limited budget and only a day and a night to do so, I was in for a nice challenge. 14:08. Hello, city? I should have taken our noiseless plane landing as a sign for things to come. The spic and span Kaohsiung International Airport was relatively empty, and therefore quiet. The 20-minute bus ride to the city center was smooth and traffic-free. And quiet. Heck, even as we unloaded our stuff in front of the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel along Chenggong 1st Road, which is adjacent to Kaohsiung's largest department store called the Hanshin, all we could hear was the wind and our driver counting the baggage. No horns blaring, no people chattering. Maybe Kaohsiung was just a very quiet city that afternoon, I thought to myself. Since it was only an hour and a half's flight from Manila, we had energy not to spend precious time resting in our spacious and well-appointed rooms. We rendezvoused at the hotel lobby and took the stairs down to the ground floor of the Hanshin, where we discovered the reason for the seemingly abandoned streets: the grand year-end sale. Inside the brightly lit mall, rows upon rows of high-end cosmetic and perfume brands stood firmly against the tide of men and women lathering, spritzing, sniffing and blending the testers unto their skin while salesladies packed shopping bags like there was no tomorrow. After all, even the most expensive brands were slashing up to 70% off their prices! We tried to stay together as we navigated the lip-biting array of luxury goods, but eventually got separated after wading through the crowd. The entrance of the next floor up seemed wallet-friendly enough. Socks, leggings and scarves were being sold by the pack; with ubiquitously bright sale signs tacked unto the display racks. But looks are deceiving. And how! We saw Mr. Vuitton, Mr. Smith, Ms. Westwood, Ms. Chanel, and a Burberry in a single lane. "More affordable, eh?" I half-gasped, scratching my head. We contented ourselves with window-shopping, people-watching, and smiling goofily at salesladies trying to assist and explain their ongoing promos to us. The phrase Xie xie (thank you) sure helped us out of sales talks that day! 16:30. High-end to corner-store Without a single shopping bag or a morsel of food, we self-pitied and ventured out into the street in the hopes of at least snacking or buying something that wouldn't break the bank just yet. We didn't have to wait long. How could we miss the street vendors and the aroma of their cooking? Vendors sold dried meats and fatty fried sausages resembling chorizo, while some were huge - bigger than two corndogs combined! Almost every corner had what looked like bubble milk tea stalls, and tiny "turo-turo" eateries also dotted the streets with fresh ingredients displayed up front. You point, they cook. Alas, having only spent a few hours in a foreign land, we couldn't work up the courage to order by sign language. The heavens must have taken pity on us as we rounded a corner and found ourselves at the steps of a 7-11. Down the drain went the premise of an authentic street food experience! Good thing I found something out of the ordinary - at NT$7 each, tea eggs were an oddly satisfying snack to bring back to the hotel while waiting for dinnertime. Delish! 18:26. The hottest hotpot in town Tucked between fashionable shops and assorted eateries along MingCheng 2nd Road is one of Kaohshiung's better known shabu-shabu, or hotpot, restaurants. A short walk from the Grand Hi-Lai, it's the perfect place for the tourist in search of a subtle transition to Taiwanese cuisine. Lemongrass, as it is called, gets its name simply from the lemongrass soup base they serve for you to boil your own food in. Our waitress could only raise her eyebrows at our clueless, or should I say, starving faces as she asked for our orders in Mandarin. Grinning, she handed out menus with English translations and rapidly motioned up and down at the section called Chafing Dish. After going through amusing selections such as handcraft fish-liquidus and complex adipose pork chafing dish, you can choose a main viand and soup from a variety of bases aside from the lemongrass; like Thai Sour & Spicy Soup, Healthy Mountain Yam Soup, or Fermented Wine Hotpot Soup that range in price from a mere NT$190 to NT$350. We then chose add-ons from the Garnish section, which had everything from green corn and vegetarian glutinous rice cakes, to freeze tofu, seafood plants and low-fat, iron-rich ostrich. Pause. Nutrition labels on menus? And I thought I was health-conscious? Soon aromas and steam were wafting through the air, and it took a lot of patience to let the pieces cool out of the boiling soup before bringing them to our mouths! Surprisingly refreshing and non-greasy to the palate, the famous soup was a great backdrop to everything put in, and became all the more flavorful as our chosen garnishes and ingredients arrived. Most impressive of the platters was the Seafood Hotpot (NT$260) with its variety of really fresh fish, prawns, and shellfish, plus fun filled flour dumplings that burst with sauce as you bite. Around two hours later, we were too full to try the other stuff on the menu (literally, the fruit miso stuff and curry stuff), but were pleasantly warm after what can aptly be described as a culinary facial. We excitedly decided to burn everything off with a shopping trip to one of Kaohsiung's most famous night markets: the LiuHo. (Alas, we never did find out what made the complex dumpling so.) 20:48. An insomniac's dreamland A taxi took us straight to the night market for only NT$80. Taxis are a great way to get to somewhere as familiar as the LiuHo, or anywhere else provided you have the location written down in Chinese characters. Besides, Taiwanese taxi drivers are renowned for being friendly, helpful, and honest, so getting around shouldn't be a problem for any tourist. The LiuHo Night Market is famous for its wide array of fresh local dishes and street food, as well as apparel, gadgets, and handicrafts. After our dismal, empty-handed rounds at the Hanshin, the sight of cheap goods in piles and racks was overwhelming! Stuff was dirt-cheap to pricey, and lots of items, especially the clothes, are made with high quality materials. Better yet, everyone is expected to bargain. Yahoo! Interspersed with the clothing shops were many tiny food stalls, loaded with finger foods and treats like topped & shaved ice, fruit smoothies, oyster omelets, and enormous skewered squid tentacles waiting to be grilled. Wanting to be polite, I tried to ignore the ghastly sewer-like smell that suddenly clouded us. I didn't see a sewer or garbage can nearby, anyway. Laughing at my discreetly disturbed look, a companion pointed out the culprit: Tsou Dou Fu or stinky tofu. Man… 'stinky' was the understatement of the evening! Like our infamous durian, the tofu submerged in some fermented brine (if my vaporized brain understood correctly) and then grilled, is an acquired taste. But don't ask me how it was - I left my guts back home! Another strange and popular delicacy was Obiko - dark gray, rectangular pieces made of pork blood and rice, skewered, then served with peanut paste, cilantro, and a spicy sauce. Mmmm??? On a lighter and more appetizing note, they also sold candied crabapples and a savory local favorite called Ba Wan (meatballs): pork and bamboo shoot-filled sticky dough served with a sweet light-colored sauce. Bottom line? I think it's best to come here really hungry or miss out on all the fun. And the calories! A little before midnight, we had completed the walk around LiuHo, which actually spans four long streets surrounding an indoor shopping complex. Unless you really want to raid the whole place, the outdoor area will more than suffice for shopping needs on every budget. Pinchpenny me happily went home with two bags and a couple of trinkets (and probably a partridge in a pear tree if I looked hard enough). 11:03. Revelations of a love affair Just a few hours after a glorious morning buffet, another gastronomic challenge lurked in the background of a Japanese-themed restaurant on the hotel's 9th floor. The appetizers were innocent enough to begin with. But then came the Taiwanese favorite - shark's fin soup, followed by king prawns that were sautéed with garlic, chilies and scallions, a melt-in your mouth braised pork belly platter, a large steamed pompano fish with soy and ginger, steamed dungeoness crabs, plus a whole deep-fried duck with cracklings. I got the feeling it wouldn't stop at dish number 8, so in jest I asked my English-speaking Taiwanese seatmate to visit us at the hospital if we got admitted for over-eating. "Don't worry, I think we're almost done" she replied soothingly. "Traditional banquets usually have only 10 dishes." Only ten,?!? "Oh wait. Eleven, if you count dessert." They have a love affair with food, indeed. Something most Filipinos will notice aside from the lack of frugality is the absence of rice, which is also a staple on Taiwanese dinner tables. That's probably what makes the banquets so special – you get a chance to really fill yourself up with the good stuff! 16:49. Let the Love flow That afternoon, I had the luxury to walk around for a few hours before boarding the bus towards a city in central Taiwan. Within a short distance was one of Kaohsiung's most famous land – or should I say, watermarks - the Love River. Locally known as the Ai River, it serves as the city's economic backbone. Taking a stroll by the harbor at this time offers the most spectacular view of the ocean and nearby cityscape. The wide open space is often used for concerts and festivals, but children and grown-ups alike come to the grounds to relax or have coffee in one of the three cafes operating in the park. The long and scenic bike route around the river towards the art museum district is also tremendously popular with the locals; it's also a pleasant way for tourists to feel the charm. If biking isn't your cup of tea, you can always hop on a ferry for a minimal fee. 17:07 Time to go As the sun came down beautifully across the horizon, I allowed myself a moment to take in the beauty and simplicity of my surroundings. I came to the conclusion that Kaohsiung may not have the conventional attractions of a tourist destination, but what it lacks in glitz is made up for with soul. Idyllic and unassuming, all you need are good walking shoes and your five senses to experience it. So if you ask me how much or how little there is to see in Kaohsiung, I can tell you: a day is not enough! |
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